LaMelephant: The LaMelo Ball Thread (#2)

[JDR720]

Trading Melo is definitely an option to consider.

We waited for MKG to stay healthy for years too. And it never happened.

Obviously Melo is a few levels above MKG as a player, but injury prone players don't just magically stop being injury prone 95% of the time.

Especially when injuries keep happening to the same body part. It's not like he's getting a lot of bumps and bruises from going after lose balls. His ankles could very well end up like Lonzo's knees.

[JustBuzzin]

Relax man I'm joking.

Nah, you aren't. Isnt the first you've mentioned moving on from Lamelo. I'd rather you stand firm than backtrack to be honest.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2358964&hilit=lamelo

Along with several posts every few days saying we should trade him lol.

I also said im all for giving him 1 more year to prove he can stay healthy. Me wanting to move on is a legit concern about his health.

This is a serious issue moving forward because of his contract. Just look at the Bulls with Lonzo. Melo is a supermax player. If he's not playing games he's not helping us and his contract is eating our cap limiting our options moving forward.

Am I wrong for pointing this out?

[fatlever]

people who aren't seriously concerned about Melo's ankles (and just general strength and slow healing) are living in a dream world. It's an issue, worth discussing. It's premature to talk moving him now, but if we are in this same boat next season, then It's time to have serious conversations about risk/reward with trading him for 1/2 his value, if he were healthy. that being said, what team is taking on that contract if he's hurt again next year?

[SWedd523]

I don't think you can trade him right now, even if you wanted to. His value is bottomed out due to the contract and health concerns.

For better or worse he's here for the next two years before the cap either catches up to his contract or he gets healthy and the conversation goes away.

[JMAC3]

You can legit make the argument that LaMelo being hurt was actually the best thing for this franchise when it is said and done. As long as he is healthy next year. Why? Because if he never gets hurt we are probably still rolling with the same core of Melo, Miles, PJ and Terry along with some late lottery talent.

If this all ends with Miller, Melo and another top 5 pick we are def better off both in the short term and longterm. I hate losing just as much as the next guy but we legit have real young talent on the team moving forward now along with Melo.

[JustBuzzin]

You can legit make the argument that LaMelo being hurt was actually the best thing for this franchise when it is said and done. As long as he is healthy next year. Why? Because if he never gets hurt we are probably still rolling with the same core of Melo, Miles, PJ and Terry along with some late lottery talent.

If this all ends with Miller, Melo and another top 5 pick we are def better off both in the short term and longterm. I hate losing just as much as the next guy but we legit have real young talent on the team moving forward now along with Melo.

You seem to be ignoring he's not actually playing basketball.

Nobody is questioning his talent. We are saying at some point he has to play basketball and stay on the court. What good is saying he is the future when he's sitting on the bench?

[MugzZo]

I know it's not popular opinion around here, but I'm allowed to have an opinion regardless. I love ball, but he CAN'T stay on the court. I mean, I'd like to see him on the court with Miller. We deserve to see it. I just feel like it won't happen, and when it does, he will be down after 10 games for 30 nursing his ankle. I'm totally up for trading him. Your best ability is availability. If we can get a good return for him, especially players that will be on the court and compete. I want to make that trade. I will stand on that hill/mountain. We can't move forward and wait around at the same time. This is 2 seasons back to back. Ideally healthy Melo is great. In the real world, it's not an option. If I'm proven wrong, great. I just don't see it happening. Melo was a breath of fresh air I'll admitt. But the air has been sucked out of the building, and here we are.

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

great win win post here...
LaMelo never gets healthy- "See told you we should have traded him".
LaMelo gets healthy- "Man, so glad I was wrong about Melo, glad to eat crow we never traded him"

I'll clarify. Trade him. I'm over it. Melo is also apart of that childish culture. He's about jewlery, cars, women. He won't condition his body and get in the weight room. He doesn't seem like he wants it. He just expects it. Change the culture here, trade Melo. I won't walk this statement back. It was fun for a while, and the fun is over.

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

[JMAC3]

You can legit make the argument that LaMelo being hurt was actually the best thing for this franchise when it is said and done. As long as he is healthy next year. Why? Because if he never gets hurt we are probably still rolling with the same core of Melo, Miles, PJ and Terry along with some late lottery talent.

If this all ends with Miller, Melo and another top 5 pick we are def better off both in the short term and longterm. I hate losing just as much as the next guy but we legit have real young talent on the team moving forward now along with Melo.

You seem to be ignoring he's not actually playing basketball.

Nobody is questioning his talent. We are saying at some point he has to play basketball and stay on the court. What good is saying he is the future when he's sitting on the bench?

This has nothing to do with what I just said. I said if he was healthy we probably top out as a playin team last two years and we don’t have Miller or a top 5 pick in this draft.

Instead we are probably still rooting for Terry, PJ and probably drafted Grady Dick last year to pair with Miles and Ball.

[JustBuzzin]

You can legit make the argument that LaMelo being hurt was actually the best thing for this franchise when it is said and done. As long as he is healthy next year. Why? Because if he never gets hurt we are probably still rolling with the same core of Melo, Miles, PJ and Terry along with some late lottery talent.

If this all ends with Miller, Melo and another top 5 pick we are def better off both in the short term and longterm. I hate losing just as much as the next guy but we legit have real young talent on the team moving forward now along with Melo.

You seem to be ignoring he's not actually playing basketball.

Nobody is questioning his talent. We are saying at some point he has to play basketball and stay on the court. What good is saying he is the future when he's sitting on the bench?

This has nothing to do with what I just said. I said if he was healthy we probably top out as a playin team last two years and we don’t have Miller or a top 5 pick in this draft.

Well unfortunately we live in reality. What if's are cool to think about but we must go on reality. The reality is Melo is becoming injury prone every season.

Not sure why people get upset when fans get fed up because he's not playing games. It's fair for some of us to question his future with the team when he's showing he can't stay on the court.

This is not a talent/fit issue. It's really about his health.

[JMAC3]

You seem to be ignoring he's not actually playing basketball.

Nobody is questioning his talent. We are saying at some point he has to play basketball and stay on the court. What good is saying he is the future when he's sitting on the bench?

This has nothing to do with what I just said. I said if he was healthy we probably top out as a playin team last two years and we don’t have Miller or a top 5 pick in this draft.

Well unfortunately we live in reality. What if's are cool to think about but we must go on reality. The reality is Melo is becoming injury prone every season.

Not sure why people get upset when fans get fed up because he's not playing games. It's fair for some of us to question his future with the team when he's showing he can't stay on the court.

This is not a talent/fit issue. It's really about his health.

Yeah again, I am saying in the past. Of course, I want Melo to get healthy and to play moving forward, but sometimes being bad is the best thing for being good hence Spurs getting Duncan...

Melo could play this weekend, he is shooting and doing full game warmups. If we were competing for a playoff spot he would be playing at 75-80%, but we aren't ala Haliburton (held scoreless last night). No reason to rush him back when we are 11.5 games out of the playin with 22 games to go. It makes no sense. Even if his ankle is fine now, the longer he goes without hurting it again the stronger the tendons and ligaments will get so the next time he turns it maybe it won't flare up as bad.

[MugzZo]

You can legit make the argument that LaMelo being hurt was actually the best thing for this franchise when it is said and done. As long as he is healthy next year. Why? Because if he never gets hurt we are probably still rolling with the same core of Melo, Miles, PJ and Terry along with some late lottery talent.

If this all ends with Miller, Melo and another top 5 pick we are def better off both in the short term and longterm. I hate losing just as much as the next guy but we legit have real young talent on the team moving forward now along with Melo.

You seem to be ignoring he's not actually playing basketball.

Nobody is questioning his talent. We are saying at some point he has to play basketball and stay on the court. What good is saying he is the future when he's sitting on the bench?

This has nothing to do with what I just said. I said if he was healthy we probably top out as a playin team last two years and we don’t have Miller or a top 5 pick in this draft.

Instead we are probably still rooting for Terry, PJ and probably drafted Grady Dick last year to pair with Miles and Ball.

My bad if u came across aggressive in that post. It's just become so damn frustrating for me, and I'm sure many of us are as well. Something has to give. I just want to see this team win.

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

[Rich4114]

I know it's not popular opinion around here, but I'm allowed to have an opinion regardless. I love ball, but he CAN'T stay on the court. I mean, I'd like to see him on the court with Miller. We deserve to see it. I just feel like it won't happen, and when it does, he will be down after 10 games for 30 nursing his ankle. I'm totally up for trading him. Your best ability is availability. If we can get a good return for him, especially players that will be on the court and compete. I want to make that trade. I will stand on that hill/mountain. We can't move forward and wait around at the same time. This is 2 seasons back to back. Ideally healthy Melo is great. In the real world, it's not an option. If I'm proven wrong, great. I just don't see it happening. Melo was a breath of fresh air I'll admitt. But the air has been sucked out of the building, and here we are.

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

great win win post here...
LaMelo never gets healthy- "See told you we should have traded him".
LaMelo gets healthy- "Man, so glad I was wrong about Melo, glad to eat crow we never traded him"

I'll clarify. Trade him. I'm over it. Melo is also apart of that childish culture. He's about jewlery, cars, women. He won't condition his body and get in the weight room. He doesn't seem like he wants it. He just expects it. Change the culture here, trade Melo. I won't walk this statement back. It was fun for a while, and the fun is over.

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

This is what I'd call a boomer take. It's full of profiling based on LaMelo's appearances and the things he likes outside of basketball that you don't relate to because you're of a different generation. I'm of a different generation too, but I also understand what makes a difference on the court vs what doesn't. Show me one NBA player not into jewelry, cars or women. Then show me where those things hurt the on court performance. And how do you know he won't condition his body or get in the weight room? Is this because he plays with a smile and has a large following of stans? These takes are ridiculous really.

It's been very evident we are way better when he plays than when he does not. The roster, leadership and coaching has been flawed from before LaMelo ever got here though. Sure, he needs to get healthy and play. Kind of like other stars who have run into injury stretches throughout their careers that have limited them. But dude is 23, his max contract hasn't even taken effect yet, he actually WANTS to be here, his teammates love him and not a single person outside of these boards, twitter or hornets reddit has suggested he doesn't work hard and want to win.

[Rich4114]

You can legit make the argument that LaMelo being hurt was actually the best thing for this franchise when it is said and done. As long as he is healthy next year. Why? Because if he never gets hurt we are probably still rolling with the same core of Melo, Miles, PJ and Terry along with some late lottery talent.

If this all ends with Miller, Melo and another top 5 pick we are def better off both in the short term and longterm. I hate losing just as much as the next guy but we legit have real young talent on the team moving forward now along with Melo.

You seem to be ignoring he's not actually playing basketball.

Nobody is questioning his talent. We are saying at some point he has to play basketball and stay on the court. What good is saying he is the future when he's sitting on the bench?

This has nothing to do with what I just said. I said if he was healthy we probably top out as a playin team last two years and we don’t have Miller or a top 5 pick in this draft.

Instead we are probably still rooting for Terry, PJ and probably drafted Grady Dick last year to pair with Miles and Ball.

This is the silver lining. We wouldn't have had Miller had LaMelo and Miles played all of last season. We'd probably have made the play in and been out on a top 2 pick easily. Same for this season. For a team that is bad at signing high impact free agents, landing top 3 picks in 3/5 drafts is a way to build a really good team. We didn't do it on purpose obviously, but the circumstances we've all had to suffer through the last two seasons have some silver lining to it.

[JMAC3]

In the grand scheme of things, LaMelo injuries are pretty minor.
Broken wrist, broken ankle and sprained ankles.

I am actually much more worried about soft tissue stuff like Hamstrings or lower back strains.

[JMAC3]

You seem to be ignoring he's not actually playing basketball.

Nobody is questioning his talent. We are saying at some point he has to play basketball and stay on the court. What good is saying he is the future when he's sitting on the bench?

This has nothing to do with what I just said. I said if he was healthy we probably top out as a playin team last two years and we don’t have Miller or a top 5 pick in this draft.

Instead we are probably still rooting for Terry, PJ and probably drafted Grady Dick last year to pair with Miles and Ball.

This is the silver lining. We wouldn't have had Miller had LaMelo and Miles played all of last season. We'd probably have made the play in and been out on a top 2 pick easily. Same for this season. For a team that is bad at signing high impact free agents, landing top 3 picks in 3/5 drafts is a way to build a really good team. We didn't do it on purpose obviously, but the circumstances we've all had to suffer through the last two seasons have some silver lining to it.

It will be the same with Spurs. For as awesome as Wemby is, it is actually better they suck and can land another top talent in this class to pair him with. If they were too good too fast they would be looking internally at Vassell or Sochan to be a #2 which seems like a large stretch in both cases.

[Rich4114]

This has nothing to do with what I just said. I said if he was healthy we probably top out as a playin team last two years and we don’t have Miller or a top 5 pick in this draft.

Instead we are probably still rooting for Terry, PJ and probably drafted Grady Dick last year to pair with Miles and Ball.

This is the silver lining. We wouldn't have had Miller had LaMelo and Miles played all of last season. We'd probably have made the play in and been out on a top 2 pick easily. Same for this season. For a team that is bad at signing high impact free agents, landing top 3 picks in 3/5 drafts is a way to build a really good team. We didn't do it on purpose obviously, but the circumstances we've all had to suffer through the last two seasons have some silver lining to it.

It will be the same with Spurs. For as awesome as Wemby is, it is actually better they suck and can land another top talent in this class to pair him with. If they were too good too fast they would be looking internally at Vassell or Sochan to be a #2 which seems like a large stretch in both cases.

Oh the Spurs know what they're doing. This is how they built their last dynasty.

[yosemiteben]

Read on Twitter

[fatlever]

a month from now... "he's close", and in training camp next year "he's close"

[JustBuzzin]

a month from now... "he's close", and in training camp next year "he's close"

Lol sad, but true.

[MugzZo]

great win win post here...
LaMelo never gets healthy- "See told you we should have traded him".
LaMelo gets healthy- "Man, so glad I was wrong about Melo, glad to eat crow we never traded him"

I'll clarify. Trade him. I'm over it. Melo is also apart of that childish culture. He's about jewlery, cars, women. He won't condition his body and get in the weight room. He doesn't seem like he wants it. He just expects it. Change the culture here, trade Melo. I won't walk this statement back. It was fun for a while, and the fun is over.

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

This is what I'd call a boomer take. It's full of profiling based on LaMelo's appearances and the things he likes outside of basketball that you don't relate to because you're of a different generation. I'm of a different generation too, but I also understand what makes a difference on the court vs what doesn't. Show me one NBA player not into jewelry, cars or women. Then show me where those things hurt the on court performance. And how do you know he won't condition his body or get in the weight room? Is this because he plays with a smile and has a large following of stans? These takes are ridiculous really.

It's been very evident we are way better when he plays than when he does not. The roster, leadership and coaching has been flawed from before LaMelo ever got here though. Sure, he needs to get healthy and play. Kind of like other stars who have run into injury stretches throughout their careers that have limited them. But dude is 23, his max contract hasn't even taken effect yet, he actually WANTS to be here, his teammates love him and not a single person outside of these boards, twitter or hornets reddit has suggested he doesn't work hard and want to win.

Call it a boomer take. Boomers had some of the greatest generational talent across all sports. So maybe if Melo had more boomer and less wimp in him, he'd be alright. Trust me, wimp isn't the word I wanted to use. But Melo seems like a kitty cat boy if you catch my drift. He hasn't changed his body in the league in 4 seasons. That's a problem coming into a league with grown men when you're a weak kid. Even his dad wanted him to take the weight room seriously. He obviously hasn't.

Millennial 87 btw

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app